Stacey Eidson

Earlier this year, when Augusta Commissioner Marion Williams demanded a copy of former City Administrator Fred Russell’s hard drive after he was fired, many of his colleagues simply rolled their eyes. It was considered to be another “crazy” Marion Williams request. Even General Counsel Andrew MacKenzie and Interim City Administrator Tameka Allen warned the Augusta […]

After rumors of vote trading the past few weeks in an attempt to approve an energy excise tax on local manufacturers, Augusta commissioners reversed that trend and opted to be one of the 159 counties in Georgia to reject the new tax. In a huge reversal, Augusta commissioners voted 8-0 not to implement the energy […]

Just minutes after Louis “Hap” Harris was sworn into office by Superior Court Judge Carlisle Overstreet as the interim District 7 commissioner on Monday, he was immediately bombarded with questions about whether his appointment was the political equivalent to the “kiss of death.” “No, no, no. If I do a very terrible job, that’s what […]

From the very moment that Augusta Commissioner Ben Hasan was sworn into office one month ago, he has been shaking things up in the Marble Palace. Whether it was his swing vote to raise property taxes in Richmond County or his recent proposal to hire Janice Allen Jackson as the city’s new administrator, Hasan has […]

If you ask most citizens in the CSRA what the Augusta Regional Collaboration Corporation, or ARC for short, is you will mainly get blank stares in return. While Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver created ARC back in 2012, the goal of the organization has always been somewhat vague to the general public. ARC’s own website leaves […]

The Augusta Commission seems to be playing a dangerous game of musical chairs. It all began a few weeks ago. First, former District 6 Commissioner Joe Jackson resigned last month to spend more time with his family after his wife passed away in April. Augusta Commissioner Ben Hasan, who was elected by voters to takeover […]

Retired businessman Sonny Pittman has officially withdrawn his name from consideration to serve as the interim Augusta commissioner for District 7. In a Sept. 14 letter to the Augusta Commission, Pittman said he was deeply discouraged by the process in which commissioners were using to select a replacement for former Commissioner Donnie Smith. Smith resigned […]

The absolute silence. That’s what deeply troubled many members of the Augusta Commission this past week regarding the controversy surrounding their colleague, Commissioner Donnie Smith. When the Georgia State Patrol released a scathing 19-page report on Sept. 4 alleging Smith secretly worked a second job during Masters Week while on duty, Augusta Commissioner Wayne Guilfoyle […]

About two years ago, the Augusta Commission approved a $475,00 plan to relocate residents of the Hyde Park neighborhood. While the city plans to eventually construct a retention pond on the neighborhood’s current site, the relocation of these residents have been decades in the making. And Rev. Charles Utley, a long-time Hyde Park resident and […]

Several years ago, Dick and Cindy Rudisill cleverly converted the basement of their home in Syracuse, N.Y., to look much like an old-fashioned country store. Using antique advertising pieces they had purchased at auctions, flea markets and estate sales all across the country, the Rudisills were able to capture the essence of a vintage store. […]